MOVIE REVIEW: The Greatest Game Ever Played

The Greatest Game Ever Played is a biopgraphical film about Francis Ouimet and his triumph at the 1913 US Open where he defeated his golfing idol Harry Vardon in an epic playoff. Adapted from Mark Frost’s 2002 book about the game, the film depicts Ouimet’s honest upbringing in Boston, his work from a young age as a caddy, and his father’s ambivalence towards the sport of golf for its elitist nature in the early 1900’s.

Golf has played a huge role in my life so far. I grew up playing the game at a competitive level and have always loved watching it on TV. Therefore, naturally I was drawn to this film and more engaged in it than others who are lesser fans of the game would otherwise be. However I must look at the film in the most objective way possible in order to review it. Truthfully I have mixed feelings on it. The subject matter and ‘story fascinated me. I loved the way the movie portrayed the game of golf as very much a gentleman’s sport in Victorian times. One of the main themes of the story was to display just how severe this elitism was on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, which gave Ouimet’s story as a hero an emotional weight. He overcame both the odds in both a golfing sense and a societal sense, changing the face of golf forever. Watching this film very much made me realise how far golf has come to the get to the point that is is at today, but also reminded me that it is not even completely there yet in terms of overcoming prejudice. Augusta for instance has only just inducted its first female member. This history is encapsulated quite well in The Greatest Game Ever Played and I must admire it for dong the full story justice.

The film shows us several phases in both Ouimet and Vardon’s lives. We see that these two golf legends both followed very similar paths to win their respective majors. Vardon of course was much more prolific, winning 6 British Open’s in his career, more than anyone in history. Yet there are definite parallels in the character’s stories, the most important of which is that neither of them came from well-to-do backgrounds. I liked how we got to see both Vardon and Ouimet as children utterly obsessed with the sport of golf. There is a very touching scene where the young Ouimet gets to meet Vardon who had just won the US Open in 1900. It sets the precedent for the following events of the film very nicely by creating an earlier connection between them. Soon we get introduced to Ouimet as a teenager, played by a young Shia LaBeouf. He has all but abandoned his dream to become a golfer, instead focussing on becoming a prominent businessman. This is until he gets offered a place in the 1913 US Open and his whole future is thrown into question. He declines initially, but eventually changes his mind. His decision angers his father, who is convinced that the game of golf is evil and set on scamming his son. All this preliminary backstory helped me to care more about Francis and his motivations for chasing his dreams.

The main bulk of the film is spent focussing on the championship, and this is maybe where it will lose those who aren’t golf fans. I was happy with how the tournament action was shot and described though, it is a credit to Paxton than he didn’t feel the need to make it too audience friendly yet still tense and watchable for more casual golf fans. That being said, being so into golf, I can clarify that the swings of almost every player were not very good. I realise that players back then would have swung the club very differently to players today, but we’re talking about Harry Vardon here, one of the greatest players of all time. I liked the nods to Vardon’s famous grip though, perhaps his most enduring legacy. The championship scenes were really entertaining, and the final holes felt very suspenseful despite being predictable. Ouimet’s victory was a cathartic and actually emotional moment. Seeing his father there in the adoring crowd during the celebrations was genuinely moving because you understood that his change of heart involved a lot of pain.

My main issues with this film lie in the acting and script. I don’t think anyone gave an outright bad performance, but there were only 1 or 2 that stood out and a fair few missteps. Shia LaBeouf was only 19 when he took on this role, and for the most part he does a pretty good job. It is nothing special, but he gave the character a fair amount of scope and depth. It did feel quite one dimensional at times though, like I knew how he was going to act in each scene. I didn’t particularly feel the performances of Stephen Dillane as Vardon and Stephen Marcus as Ted Ray. It felt like they relied too heavily on one particular persona, the stiff upper lipped golfers who gave people piercing glances when they wanted to convey an emotion. I would have liked Vardon to have had much more dialogue so that I could have got to know him better. Peter Firth played the eccentric newspaper magnate Lord Northcliffe and gave perhaps the best performance in the movie. His pompous snobbery was as disgraceful and shocking as it should have been, provided by the great dialogue he was given. The child actor who played Francis’ caddy Eddie, Josh Flitter, did a reasonable job considering his age, although he did often come off as very cartoonish. He did add some great comic relief to the story, but I’m not sure he always fitted the tone of some of the more serious scenes. All in all, it was a mixed bag on the acting front. The script had both highs and lows, but with a great story to fall back on, it didn’t detract too much from the film’s impact.

Despite having a few issues with The Greatest Game Ever Played, I really enjoyed watching it. It gave me a fascinating insight into the history of the game I love so much. I cared about Francis and his struggle to overcome the harsh prejudices of the sport in order to fulfil his dream to win a major. The movie will definitely split opinion, which will have a lot to do with whether you like golf and care about the characters. Even so, there is more to this story than just a young boy winning a golf competition, so give it a fair chance.

Acting: 60

Narrative: 85

Visuals: 70

Music: N/A

Overall: 72/100

MOVIE REVIEW: Sideways (2004)

Sideways is a 2004 film directed by Alexander Payne and adapted from Rex Pickett’s novel of the same name. I was unfamiliar with both the film and director when I randomly came across it this morning on NOW TV, but thought I’d give it a shot. For the most part this is a very enjoyable movie, with some great character development and a solid plot. Paul Giamatti plays recently divorced author Miles Raymond, a troubled and lost figure who is attempting to get his novel published and make a name for himself. He also has a passion for wine, one of the film’s main themes. His friend and actor, Jack, played by Thomas Haden Church is his polar opposite. He likes to party, fool around, and has little interest in wine, yet he is the one engaged to be married. It is this central juxtaposition that creates such an interesting dynamic between the two characters, mainly expressed through Miles’ frustration with Jack’s flamboyant and flirtatious personality.

The first thing I will say is that the film is beautifully shot. It takes place in California, and the road trip the two embark on takes us to beautiful vineyards and through rolling desert hills. It is a very American looking film. The way Payne shot many of the scenes captures the beauty of California in the summer, with lots of natural lighting and panning shots of the countryside. It made me want to be there myself. The theme of wine-tasting is a hard one to make exciting, but I genuinely found myself intently listening to Miles talk about it, so props for that!

The film develops at a steady pace. We learn a lot about both the characters in one of the very first scenes when Jack cracks open a vintage bottle of champagne in the car, to Miles’ horror. Yet here we also see the type of relationship they have with one another, Miles soon resigning himself to Jack’s antics, and Jack asserting a kind of dominant persona over Miles. This is fleshed out as the movie progresses, Miles playing more of a submissive role to Jack’s exuberant dominance. Yet, thanks to the depth of these characters, you also sense a deep rooted mutual admiration between the two, like nothing either one of them does will damage their friendship.

Jack puts his cards on the table early in the film, asserting that he is not coming back without getting laid. From this point on he very much plays the carefree scoundrel, getting involved with a girl without realising what the repercussions will end up being. He always has an axe to grind with Miles, who wanted to take Jack on a more cultured trip, drinking wine and frequenting fancy restaurants. Jack just wants to party. The good thing was that I could sympathise with both characters and felt as if I was really starting to get to know them by the end of the film.

The main events of the film take place around how the two guys approach and deal with women. They meet two attractive younger girls, Maya and Stephanie. We learn that Miles knew of Maya from previous trips to the area and after Jack eggs him on, he develops a fondness for her, not quite knowing how to handle it. Jack gets involved with Stephanie, who works at a vineyard and is friends with Maya. The most touching part of the film is watching Miles struggle to woo Maya, whilst having to watch his friend do it in textbook fashion. I got a real sense of his inner struggle, on the one hand wanting to move on with another woman, yet being constantly haunted by his previous relationship. In the end, Maya finds out about Jack’s marriage and the film transitions into more comical territory. Jack gets beaten up by Stephanie, before seducing another waitress and getting chased out of her house by her furious naked husband. He then crashes Miles’ car to create an alibi for his broken nose. This third act of the film was a lot of fun, and I was impressed with how Payne managed to maintain the depth of the characters whilst introducing some more light-hearted comedy.

I have very few gripes with this movie overall. Occasionally I felt like Haden Church’s acting came off as a little wooden, but Giamatti’s stunning performance as Miles more than made up for it. He very much stole the show in my eyes. I wasn’t blown away by any part of the film, but it impressed and entertained me for 2 hours this morning, so I must give it its due credit. This is a romantic comedy with a lot of heart and an engaging subtext. The Californian setting was pure eye candy and never got boring to observe, but if you asked me to split hairs then I would have liked a few more ambitious shots thrown in here and there. I definitely recommend giving this a watch if you want something that’s easy to watch but will also make you think a little.

Acting: 80

Narrative: 75

Visuals: 80

Music: N/A

Overall: 78/100 

Yeezy Season Approaching..

It distresses me just how much Ye has slipped from the dizzying heights of his first 5 albums, all of which I consider masterpieces (yes, even 808s). He seems to have let his other passions get in the way of his music somewhat, not that I have any massive problem with that, he will be successful at anything he chooses to do. But that’s no excuse for putting out songs and verses that are just plain bad, which he has unfortunately done far too much in the last 5 years. Just a few weeks ago he released Facts, and my worst fears for SWISH were being confirmed. The song was nothing but Kanye being obnoxious and needlessly self-affirming, with lazy lyrics, a lazy beat and a cringe worthy delivery. I suspect that after seeing the reaction to Facts, Kanye must have realised that he needed to win a lot of people over again, and set to work returning to what made him such a revolutionary rapper and producer in the first place.

Since then, Kanye has put out two tracks that have done a lot to revitalise my confidence in him. The first was Real Friends, a rap ballad of sorts, which as soon as I heard it reminded me of early Ye, specifically songs like Family Business and Heard ‘Em Say. “Real Friends, how many of us? How many of us, how many jealous?” Kanye opens with, beautifully and concisely setting up what he is trying to say. This is the most reflective and personal I’ve heard Kanye since Blame Game. I think every listener can relate to some degree with what Kanye is saying in this song, something I don’t think can be said about much of his post 2010 output thus far. I think this side of Kanye has been all but forgotten by most people, which is a real shame considering just how down to earth and soulful a lot of his early songs were. The lyrics are kept simple and too the point for the entire runtime, which really gives the song a chance to breathe and sink in. The bridge is sung by Ty Dolla $ign, who I think does a great job complimenting Kanye’s delivery and breaking up his verses. Likewise, the beat does a great deal to give the song an emotional boost. I’m glad to see that Ye produced it himself, as I’d started to lose a bit of faith in him as a producer too. Overall the song was a great return to form.

The next track, released on Monday, was teased at at the end of Real Friends, and promised a different sound entirely. I like No More Parties in L.A just as much as Real Friends, but for completely different reasons. The track features Kendrick Lamar, who is in my opinion the best in the game right now. It’s a testament to Ye then that he managed to wipe the flaw with K. dot on this track. Both verses are great, but Ye steals the show for sure. The beat was done in collaboration with legendary producer Madlib, who gives the track a fiery but deeply soulful feel. I loved this beat, but then I don’t think I’ve heard a Madlib beat that I haven’t liked yet. The wordplay by both MC’s is where the real meat of this track lies however. Ye is back to spitting bar after bar of pure fire here, even claiming that “the writers block is over..”. Whilst I’m still a little sceptical as to whether he’s back to his lyrical best, this verse certainly does a lot to prove his point. Kanye raps for over 3 minutes continuously and doesn’t let up for one second. He is able to refer to a vast array of topics including his past, his family, his lifestyle and much more without it coming off as cheap. In contrast to Real Friends, here Ye is trying to prove something, prove that he can still rap as hard as he used to. Perhaps that is why he invited Kendrick on to this track, to prove he can still hold his own against the best. Kendrick also spits a strong verse, but given his recent output that’s hardly surprising. I think overall he is outshadowed, partly due to his verse coming first and being a little shorter than Ye’s. But it doesn’t matter, just the sheer fact that both of these legends are on the same track, spitting great line after great line over a Madlib beat is enough to send me into musical euphoria.

I would argue that these are Kanye’s best two tracks since My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and have finally got me truly hyped for SWISH next month. I am still a little on edge as to whether he can’t put together another game changing album, but what can always be guaranteed is that Ye will have some genuine surprises to throw at us on this album and beyond. 

Listen to the tracks over on Kanye's Soundcloud page.

My Top 20 Albums of 2015

I’ll preface this post by saying I missed out on a lot of great projects this year. In the past, I have managed to get through over 70 or 80 albums throughout the entire year. This year I only managed 61. Even some of the year’s big albums like Kamasi Washington’s ‘The Epic’, Chelsea Wolfe’s ‘Abyss’ and Beach House’s ‘Depression Cherry’ somehow slipped by the wayside. That being said I did listen to a lot of great albums this year, and I would still rank it amonst the best years of he decade thus far. Below is my personal top 20 of the year with some brief descriptions of why I dug them so much.

20. Viet Cong – Viet Cong

This Canadian band went through a lot in 2015. After releasing this great album back in January, they spent much of the rest of the year struggling through the controversy surrounding their name. It turns out the band did not fully understand the offensive connotations such a name had for so many people. Whatever your opinion is on that whole deal, few can deny this album’s droney and hypnotic sound, that has its listener in a daze for most of its run time. This is a dark and moody listen that just about managed to creep into my top 20 after being out a whole 12 months. Give it a listen.

19. Vince Staples – Summertime ‘06

After releasing possibly my favourite music video and one of my favourite singles of 2015 with ‘Señorita’, it was only a matter of time before Vince Staples dropped a stellar album. That album came right at the midpoint of the year when he dropped Summertime ’06. This album has a very definitive sound for such a young artist. At 22, I’m really impressed that Vince succeeded in delivering a dark and thought provoking depiction of his adolescence and his city. Tracks like Señorita, Jump Off The Roof, Left Me Up and others really had me vibing out. Vince’s delivery has put me off in the past, but I liked it here for the most part. I think he has a bright future ahead of him and I can’t wait to see what he does next.

18. Ghostpoet – Shedding Skin

One of my best friends put me on to Ghostpoet when he released the project before this a couple of years ago. I didn’t like it. I generally find it quite hard to get behind British rappers in the same way I do American ones, and to me his last album was too rap heavy. With Shedding Skin, Ghostpoet took us down more of an electronic route, singing on most of the tracks instead of rapping. The result was a much better and more cohesive collection of songs, most of which had me either singing along or listening intently. I think Ghostpoet has found his lane with this project, and I hope he continues with this sound.

17. Knxwledge – Hud Dreams

Knxwledge was called in by Kendrick Lamar to produce the song ‘Momma’ from To Pimp a Butterfly this year, and being such a huge fan of that song I thought I’d check out one of the albums he dropped in 2015, I was not disappointed. Knxwledge is obviously a very accomplished beat maker and I can’t even say with confidence that this has been his best release as his output seems to be constant. All I know is that I had a bunch of fun vibing out to these instrumentals and I will be looking to see what he puts out in the coming years.

16. Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear

Folk and indie music will always hold a special place in my heart for one main reason – it was catalyst for me discovering the music I love today. One of the bands I discovered a few years ago that helped me on that journey was Fleet Foxes, who released one of my favourite records of the decade a few years back. The band included the creator of the next album on my list, Josh Tillman, also known as Father John Misty. In early 2015 he provided a blissful soundtrack to my spring and summer days with I Love You, Honeybear. The album’s signature is Tillman’s iconic crooning, which gives the album a real aura. The music is sometimes a bit sugary for my liking, but the album nonetheless held my attention for lots of listens throughout the year.

15. Alabama Shakes – Sound & Colour

This was an album that I was admittedly late to, I only listened to it a few weeks ago in fact. Turns out I’d been missing out. Alabama Shakes are one of the most original yet accessible sounding acts that I’ve heard in a while. With Sound & Colour, the band seamlessly blended soulful blues rock with elements of Americana and indie pop. The resulting tracks have a real punch to them, exploding into your ears with a spontaneous ferocity. Don’t Wanna Fight is one of the pop singles of the year for sure, but its far from the only great track on the album. I found myself disliking a couple of songs here, which is why its not higher up on the list, but overall Alabama Shakes came through with a fresh, cohesive and contemporary sounding album which I’m still playing now.

14. Uncommon Nasa – Halfway

The last 2 years have been very good to Uncommon Nasa. In 2014 he released New York Telephone, which I absolutely loved. In 2015 he was back with another concept album, focussing on the theme of time and death, the title referring to being halfway through life. This concept provides the backbone for some very reflective and hard hitting tracks. Though I would still testify to the fact that Nasa isn’t the most accessible rapper, it would be hard to deny his talent for lyricism, which is on perfect display here. It is clear that Nasa rapping works best over gritty beats and with some kind of theme to give power to his words. I think he managed to capture both of these elements on this album and it was very enjoyable to listen to.

13. Pusha T – Darkest Before Dawn

Pusha has been one of my favourite rappers for some time, yet I’ve always wanted to see him produce a classic. He definitely has it in him, but it needs to be soon. Darkest Before Dawn is a prelude album to his next, larger project, King Push, which should be hitting stores sometime in 2016. Nonetheless. This was a great album in itself. Pusha sounds like he did on his previous album My Name is My Name, but I actually think this is a slightly more polished and consistent effort. Thanks to tracks like Untouchable, M.F.T.R and Got Em Covered, the album maintains Pusha’s recent trend of putting out catchy and replayable songs without them coming off as too basic. The production has some great variety, from clean beats inspired by artists like The-Dream to more grandiose instrumentals that sound like they were recorded during the My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy sessions. A thoroughly enjoyable listen from a rapper who continues to impress.

12. Carly Rae Jepson – Emotion

Perhaps this was not what you were expecting this high up on the list, but its true, I loved this project. I still have memories of teenage parties listening to Carly Rae Jepson’s Call Me Maybe, and I’m not scared to say I love that song. This girl obviously knows what she’s doing when it comes to making addictive pop tunes, as this album also contains some absolute bangers. Run Away With Me is undoubtedly one of the pop songs of the year, with endless replay value and some genuinely passionate lyrics. I Really Like You is similarly catchy, if a little simpler in its structure. But what impressed me about Emotion the most was its deep cuts, which held up pretty well against the few obvious hits. Few mainstream pop albums (yes even JB’s) can hold my attention for 12 tracks, but she really did with this. Much of it is down to the fantastic production, which borrows obvious inspiration from 80’s synth pop. But Carly does her thing on most of the tracklist here, and I truly am a fan of her youthful singing. Definitely one pop star to watch in the future.

11. Drake – If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late

From one pop album to another. Yes, I did say this was a pop album, because that’s how I see it. Drake is not a great rapper, he’s just not. He definitely has the ability to rap well, as he does on some of the tracks here, but where he really shines is with his R&B singing and softer raps. I don’t think If You’re Reading This.. is a great project, but I have to put it this high up simply because of how much I played it in 2015. Drizzy has almost come to define meme rap in the modern era, whether it be coining Yolo or his hilarious Hotline Bling video. Whether you like him or not, Drake is the biggest in the game right now. This album only continued his ascent to hip hop’s upper echelons, with a handful of bangers that I’m sure every rap fan has had stuck in their head for at least a day since the album’s release. I almost resent how much I enjoy this album, as technically it’s a mess and the beats are lazy, even by Drake standards. But the whole of the first half had me hooked for at least a couple of months, and for that I have to give the 6 God his credit. That being said, I hope Views From The 6 is a lot more thought out as this kind of album is not going to fly with me next time.

10. Jay Rock – 90059

If there was one album in 2015 I was anticipating behind SWISH and To Pimp A Butterfly, it was probably Jay Rock’s. The TDE star had taken his sweet time crafting a follow up to his commercial debut album in 2011. He has been on my radar ever since I heard his song-stealing verse on Kendrick Lamar’s Money Trees, and the tracks he was putting out teasing at this new album were all fantastic. Jay Rock is known as the hardcore rapper in TDE, yet he has always had a talent for lyricism too. With 90059 he sticks pretty close to his roots in some ways, whilst straying away from them in others. My favourite tracks on here were the harder songs like Necessary, Easy Bake and 90059, but I also enjoyed the introspective tracks, something Jay Rock is relatively new to. Vice City featuring Black Hippy was great and the most replayable track on the record, if a little bit safe for 4 of the best rappers in the game right now. Nevertheless, this was a very fun listen and deserving of a top 10 spot.

9. Sufjan Stevens – Carrie and Lowell

This album was a slow burner for me, but when it hit me, it really hit me. This was my first exposure to Sufjan’s music, and after hearing rave reviews upon release I checked it out, only to be let down. It sounded too samey to me and a bit bland if I’m honest. But I gave it several more listens and it finally clicked. This album sent me off in to a dream like state at times, under the influence of its echoey pianos and Sufjan’s soft voice. It’s a peaceful album. Even without any context on the subject matter, there is beauty in the material here, but after you find out that this album was about his mum, you really start to hear them in a new way. This album had me shedding a few tears thinking about my family and friends, reminiscing on old times. Yes, its sentimental and nostalgic, but there is nothing wrong with that now and again. It feels like Sufjan needed to sing these songs to get the feelings out of his system, and it’s that cathartic quality that makes it such a rewarding listen.

8. Milo – So The Flies Don’t Come

I’ve been waiting for Milo to come out with a great album for a while now. I wasn’t huge on his last project, and I hadn’t heard anything great from him since his double EP from 2013. Luckily this was the album I was waiting for. So The Flies Don’t Come is concise, cohesive and full of head-bobbing beats. Milo’s lyricism is still on point here too, as he raps about things most hip hop stars wouldn’t go near, and that’s what makes him as unique as the likes of Open Mike Eagle. What impressed me here though was that Milo managed to marry his rhymes to his beats much more seamlessly. He made it less about writing the most complex rhyme scheme he could think of and more about substance, without losing his trademark sound. I hope he continues in this vein as he undoubtedly has endless amounts of potential.

7. Laura Marling – Short Movie

Like Milo, I’ve also been waiting patiently for Laura Marling to release a top quality album. Short Movie for me is by far her best effort so far. I first heard about Laura when someone described her to me as the female Bob Dylan. Although I disagree, I would compare her to Joni Mitchell. I actually think she sounds uncannily like Joni in both tone and pitch, which is no bad thing. I had the chance to see Laura in concert back in May of last year, and it really helped me get into this project. She was amazing live, and the songs came over real and genuine, as did she. The songwriting on Short Movie was a real step up in my opinion, and she has that way of making a really bitter and biting line sound like no big deal, a quality both Dylan and Mitchell certainly possessed. I think she still has room for improvement, but Laura is really staking a claim with this release.

6. Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit And Think, and Sometimes I just Sit

Sneaking into the top 5 we have another female singer-writer, Aussie Courtney Barnett. After garnering attention with her double a few years back, Courtney finally released a follow up in 2015. This album is far from flawless, and musically its quite basic, but Courtney’s passion and song writing shines through so strongly that it doesn’t really matter. From the opener Elevator Operator to the dreary Depreston, Courtney paints vivid pictures of the everyday pitfalls of suburban life. I like the fact this album is simple because it stops it from sounding pretentious. It sounds like Courtney just wants to make observations on the world around her and project those over catchy rock melodies, and I can respect that. There is clearly plenty more to come from Barnett, but she has already made a very positive start and I look forward to her next project.

5. Dr Dre – Compton

Who knew in 2015 I would have been listening to a new Dr Dre album? For years, it was all about Detox, but we eventually learnt that Dre wasn’t happy with how that project was coming together and ended up scrapping it. Most of the disappointment generated by that news was remedied by this album though. Compton is a great return for Dre, even if it’s not up there with The Chronic and 2001. That’s not the point, Dre is clearly in a much different place musically and in his life now as he way back then. Compton is more of a collaborative effort, celebrating Compton and its artistic output. Some will understandably see this as a negative, noting that it doesn’t sound like a Dre album. For me though, all I care about is the quality of the music, and there is tonnes here to be admired. First of all, the features he picked were spot on for the style of the album. Everyone put their absolute all into crafting great verses, including Kendrick, The Game, Snoop, Anderson Paak, Eminem and Ice Cube. Kendrick’s verse on Deep Water especially was mind-blowing. The familiar thing to take away for Dre fans will be the production, which was spectacular once again. Each song felt like a short movie, yet still Dre managed to create a feel of cohesion. I admire the doc’s bravery in having the vision for a project like this, knowing that his fans are waiting for Detox. Instead he threw a curveball at them, without sacrificing much of what made his last 2 albums so special. It was always going to be a very divisive album, but I believe that Dr Dre pulled it off again with Compton.

4. Jamie xx – In Colour

This was by far the most feel-good album I heard last year. I’ve been hot and cold with Jamie’s work in the past, but with this project I think he finally hit a home run with me. Each song has its own vibe and flavour, but ever present is Jamie’s sumptuous production, which feels nicely layered and put together throughout. The album also included one of my favourite singles of the year, I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) featuring Young Thug. If I needed convincing of how exactly to use an artist like Young Thug on a track, this was the track, it works so well. Beyond that though, this project has a real sense of life and soul to it, each song pulsating with an infectious energy that kept me coming back for more. I loved how English the album was too, Jamie obviously borrowing influence from the garage and rave scenes that exploded in the UK in the 90’s. Luckily it still sounds fresh and contemporary enough though to make it distinctive. This was a very impressive album and I think a step up from 2011’s We’re New Here.

3. Death Grips – The Powers That B

Perhaps my most anticipated album of last year, Death Grips did not disappoint when it came to releasing the second half of their double album The Powers That B in 2015. It is rumoured to be their last project after they announced that they were splitting up last summer, but at this point its hard to trust anything the trio say. The Powers That B is a very hard album to pin down as its not like anything they have ever done. Being a double album with each side being released a whole year apart from one another, it gave the band a chance to create a sense of contrast. The first part, Niggas On The Moon, the band strayed a bit from their noise hop roots and went down some weird avenues. The result in unnerving, tense and typically claustrophobic, but a bit softer and more nuanced than previous albums. The second half, Jenny Death, also contains some anomalies and curve balls, but is generally a return to the classic Death Grips sound. I love both for different reasons. This collective is still undefinable, from their image, to their beats, to their vocal style, to their marketing. I see them as having been right at the pinnacle of musical innovation for the last 5 years or so, and this album only added to their mystique. The fact that they managed to conjure such hysteria and hype over the release date of Jenny Death is a huge achievement, considering how seemingly inaccessible and abrasive their music is, add that to the fact that they have influenced the likes of Kanye West and David Bowie. If this is the last album from the trio then it is certainly a fitting end, a fantastic project from start to finish.

2. Lupe Fiasco – Tetsuo & Youth

If you’d told me I would be putting a Lupe Fiasco album this high up on my list in 2014 I would have laughed. Although Lupe is an undeniably talented MC, his 2011 effort Lasers was a really bad project. I thought Lupe had sacrificed his lyricism and creativity for a more commercial sound. I listened to Lasers and his other albums in the lead up to Tetsuo & Youth, concluding that he was probably past his prime. I was wrong. Tetsuo & Youth is a fantastic album. From the opening few lines on the opener Mural, I knew that he had recaptured some much needed inspiration. The song is 9 minutes in length, and Lupe doesn’t let up for the entire duration, spitting clever line after clever line. As a fan of hip hop, I admire both technically brilliant rapping, with lots of double untenders and metaphors, as well as more conscious or storytelling type rap. Lupe does both brilliantly on this album, coming up with some lines that portray what he’s really trying to say in a clever or witty way. The concept of this album helped sew the songs together beautifully, with Lupe breaking up each act with a soundscape that represented a certain season. I am glad that Lupe learnt from the failure of Lasers and came back with such a fine collection of tracks. There is something for everybody on here, or something to cater for the fluctuating moods of just one individual. Songs like Chopper verge on gangster rap, whilst Madonna and Deliver sound more trap and pop-rap inspired. Overall this was a tremendous return to form for Lupe and I hope he can use it as a springboard for future projects.

1. Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp A Butterfly

My number 1 for 2015 will be a surprise to no one. Of course, it had to be the masterpiece created by Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp A Butterfly. This album may go down as the most important hip hop album of the 21^st Century thus far. That of course is debateable, but what is undeniable is that Kendrick is the biggest rapper out there right now thanks to this album. After Good Kid, M.A.A.D City I was struggling to foresee what direction Kendrick would go with his next project. To Pimp A Butterfly proves that he had a hell of a lot more to say, and that what he set out to do was to create a more mature album, making more potent and prophetic observations about himself and the world around him, especially in regard to the black community. The genius of this album for me is its duality, how K Dot manages to connect the deeply personal and the external world. What it gives the listener is a sense of unity, a feeling that if one seeks to live in and effect the world around them, they must first go through a transformation in order to understand themselves fully. Many called this album a ‘political’ album or a statement on black power, but I think this assessment misses a large part of the record, that being Kendrick coming to terms with who he is destined to be. The songs on To Pimp A Butterfly are diverse in tone and subject matter. I’m not going to talk too much about the individual songs in this post as I’d be here for days, I’ll save that for a proper review. What I will say is that every single one blew me away. As mentioned, Kendrick goes from tearing himself apart on u to tearing the establishment apart on Blacker The Berry with extraordinary ease. One can’t help but be sucked into every word he says on almost every song, purely due to just how much passion he puts into rapping them. The production is where the album divided opinion, some saying it was overly excessive and too free form for a hip hop record. For me, that’s what I love about it. Kendrick and the producers he worked with fused so many genres together here without it coming across as too intellectual. The beats are still catchy but still have a lot of detail if one wants to look for it. Only once or twice did I think he went slightly over the top with a jazz instrumental. The other defining quality of the album was the concept, which featured Kendrick reading lines from a poem he wrote to break up the songs, culminating with him having a fictionalised conversation with his hero, Tupac Shakur. It was a genius touch that gave the album a cohesion and ultimate climax to build towards. Somehow Kendrick managed to up his game once again with this album, and he’s showing no signs of letting up anytime soon. For me, To Pimp A Butterfly helped to secure his place at the top of hip hop’s totem pole, at least for now. This is surely a record for the ages.

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Rest in Peace David Bowie..

Today is a dark day for music. I can’t quite put into words how I feel having heard that one of the world’s most treasured music icons has passed away. David Bowie to me has always represented a shape-shifter of sorts. He has been able to adopt the guises of so many characters, whilst still remaining quintessentially himself. I grew up with some of his music from a very young age. I still remember vividly my Dad playing the song Heroes over and over, initially to my bemusement but eventually to my delight. As I matured and discovered older music in more depth, Bowie was one of the first artists I checked out. I cried listening to Life On Mars and Five Years for the first time, David’s desperate wailing passion hitting me like a tonne of bricks. I spent hours immersing myself in his early albums, and eventually his Berlin trilogy and beyond too. Like Dylan, The Beatles, and most of my favourite artists, what floored me about Bowie was his constant need for change, year to year, albums to album. I could get a different version of him from each record, yet I always felt his undeniable presence.

It is clear to me that David Bowie was a man who promoted peace and acceptance on this planet of ours, and did his utmost to challenge social and cultural norms in both his music and broader life. I never knew him, yet somehow I feel that he knew something about me, something about all of us. The album he left us with, Blackstar, was a sobering experience to listen to, especially today. I like to think it was his way of saying goodbye and good luck. A plea for us all to look long and hard at ourselves and to realise our mortality so that we can start living. Whatever his intentions, I am glad that he was able to deliver one more great record.

Rest in Peace David Bowie and thank you for everything.